Our Favorite Ghost Stories for Kids

You may have noticed on our Ultimate Halloween Book list that there aren’t any books that feature just ghosts, that is because we love them so much that we decided to give them a list of their own!  These ghost stories feature our favorite “spooks” and are definitely not too scary, if even scary at all.  Over here we prefer friendly and even, dare we say, darling ghosts.  Why not, they are terribly cute?!

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“Ghosts in the House” by Kazuno Kohara-  This book has my whole heart!  I love its simple color scheme of black, orange and white and the story is impossible not to love.  It tells of a little which who loves that the new house she moves into is inhabited by friendly ghosts.  She quickly puts them to good use by using them to create curtains, blankets and much more. (click here for “beyond the book fun”)

“Gilbert the Ghost” by Guido van Genechten- This is the sweet story of a kind little ghost who doesn’t want to spend his days scaring and being spooky, it’s just against his nature.  At first he finds himself an outcast in his ghost community, but it isn’t long before he makes friends and proves that sometimes different is definitely a great thing.

“No Such Thing” by Ella Bailey- This one is a definite favorite in our home.  It is about a little girl who has some strange things going on in her home at Halloween, such as items being moved around and messes being made, but she absolutely refuses to believe that it is caused by ghosts.  However, you as the reader know better because on each page spread little ghosts can be spotted with a keen eye.  The illustrations in this book are purely delightful and my kids love finding the ghosts on each page. (click here for “beyond the book” fun)

“Little Ghost Party” by Jacques Duquennoy-  This is more of a novelty book than a story book, mainly because it has no story.  However, I simply couldn’t leave it off this list because it is a must every Halloween for us!  It is a board book and each page contains a window into witch you can see a ghost or other character that is embellished by little chains attached at one end.  Moving the book causes the chains to move which creates the illusion of dance moves at Little Ghost’s Party.  It is such a fun book to play around with and makes a great addition to any ghost book collection.

“How to Make Friends with a Ghost” by Rebecca Green- I adore this book so much that I don’t know if I can pack it up when Halloween is over, it may just have to stay out all year.  It is a fictional guide on how to make friends with a ghost.  The tips include everything from cauldron bubble baths to singing spooky lullabies.  It is frankly one of the cutest halloween books I’ve ever seen. (click here for “beyond the book” fun”)

“The Scariest Book Ever” by Bob Shea-  This book is a real hoot, especially as a read-aloud.  It is an interactive story in that the main character in the story (a fearful, yet likable ghost) talks directly to you, the reader.  He is afraid of the woods outside his house and in the beginning is to scared to see the peeks of it that you get too between the pages.  In the end he learns that not all things are as scary as they seem.  Such a clever format for a book that is totally a winner in our opinion! (click here for beyond the book fun)

Ghost Story Box: Create Your Own Spooky Tales by Magma and Ella Bailey-  Okay, so this one isn’t a book either.  But again, it is too wonderful to leave off.  It is a story prompt kit that includes two-sided, illustrated tiles of a ghost.  You can put them together in any order you wish to create a story of your own.  I love storytelling tools like this because they are fabulous for literacy skills with children, can be used over and over again, and put the “power of storytelling” in the imagination of your child.  Plus, this is hands-down one of the cutest ones I have ever seen.

“Sir Simon: Super Scarer” by Cale Atkinson- Sir Simon is a professional ghost, which is a lot of fun, but it means a lot of ghost chores. You know, like moving your possessions around and making the attic creak. However, one day he makes a new human friend who wants to help him out. Could it get any more fun?

“How to Scare a Ghost” by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish- This book is a how-to guide for aquiring and then making friends with a ghost of your own.  The ideas are so creative and the illustrations are playful and light-hearted.  A definite fun one for “ghost fans”.

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